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Summary:
An amnesiac Frank Black awakens in an alley
with no idea why he attended a bizarre new drug trial,
what happened to him there, who the mysterious doctor pulling the
strings is, or why he has the disturbing feeling that someone has
died.
Season One on DVD
Full Transcript Available
Quote:
"I remember the very thing that I do not wish to; I cannot
forget the things I wish to forget." —Cicero
Synopsis:
Peter Watts tells Catherine
that Frank missed a routine homicide review with Yakima
police that morning. Fearing the worst, Peter and Catherine
access Frank's computer, looking for clues that would shed
light on his disappearance. The pair uncover email
correspondence between Frank (using the pseudonym "David
Marx") and a Doctor Daniel Miller. Catherine tells Peter
that five years ago, just before Frank collapsed, he would
sometimes vanish for days at a time and check into hotels
using the same pseudonym (the name of a childhood friend who
passed away).
A
police officer discovers Frank, his hands bandaged, at a bus station. Bletcher
tells Catherine he was wearing a hospital bracelet bearing the name David
Marx. When Frank returns home, he tells his wife he cannot remember what
happened to him during his disappearance but senses that someone died during
his blackout period.
Watts
and Frank track Dr. Daniel Miller (Danny) to a seedy hotel. Miller tells
the men that Frank approached him looking for a cure to his "gift." Miller,
who keeps track of experimental drugs and clinical trials, had information
pertaining to a drug called Proloft, an antidepressant used to treat certain
temporal lobe anomalies. But Frank insists he would never had expressed
interest in taking such a drug for any reason.
Frank
and Watts travel to a family clinic. Flashback images in Frank's mind reveal
he was incarcerated in the clinic's trial room along with several other
participants all of whom drank from a water dispenser laced with an unknown
chemical substance. The drug caused the participants to lapse into a frenzied
rage, which Frank likens to "animals in the zoo."
The
drug company that ran the clinical test releases records to the Millennium
Group. This allows Frank and Watts to meet with the other human guinea
pigs who participated in the trial. During the discussion, Frank realizes
one of the participants gouged out his own eyes and that this same man
somehow ended up dying. But he is uncertain how the death occurred. Later,
Frank discovers the body of the nurse who supervised the trial in a dumpster.
Frank
returns to Danny's hotel room. There Danny tells him how, years earlier,
he began experiencing hallucinations (similar to those experienced by Frank).
One night Danny suddenly ran out onto a highway and was almost run over
by oncoming traffic.
A
researcher determines that the substance ingested by the trial participants
is the exact opposite of Proloft, explaining why the participants were
consumed by primal behavior. Hans Ingram, the man who ran the clinical
trial, forces his way into Danny's hotel room. A short time later, Danny
runs out onto a highway and is run over by an oncoming car. Nearby, Frank
finds computer print out bearing a photo of Hans Ingram.
Watts
and Bletcher access Ingram's apartment. There they discover an eyeless
corpse inside a refrigerator. Meanwhile, Giebelhouse and Frank search Ingram's
office, where they find packets of a product called Smooth Time.
The
Millennium Group receives word that a group of businessmen at an office
complex have suddenly run amok. Frank realizes that Ingram handed out free
samples of Smooth Time to study its effect. He finds Ingram surveiling
the action via the office complex's security monitors. Ingram tells Frank
that the U.S. is a nation of zombies, put to sleep by his own drug company.
It is his intention to "wake them up." He is taken into custody.
Back
at home, Frank tells his wife that if Jordan does possess any part of his
"gift," he will be there to guide her.
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Photographs:
- Frank attacks the sinister Hans Ingram
- Frank and Peter on the streets of Seattle
- The troubled Black family embraces
- Frank reacts strongly to the drug trial
- Frank and Peter attend a crime scene
- Frank considers the drug trial murder
Abyss Rating:
(4/5)
Media Review:
"This
is a strange show on many levels. The narrative is jagged, jumping
back and forth from present to past to... the possible? Indeed, the
whole episode is like a giant puzzle with the pieces tossed at us from
all angles. It forces us to confront uneasy questions: what was Frank
doing at the drug test trial? Who died? Why did the Internet 'doctor'
loose his license? Now, if one pays close attention, they can make all
the pieces fit: the fear for his family, the taking of a homicide case
against the Group’s wishes, the rationale behind the 'evil twin' drug.
The megalomaniac subplot is just further fun frosting on the cake of
chaos. It is easy to see why some fans hate this particular show.
Frank Black is really not 'himself' in this episode, acting completely
out of character. But as part of the ever-evolving aspects of the
series, it’s a fine outing." —Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Trivia:
Proloft, the experimental drug featured
in this episode, is named after anti-anxiety drugs Prozac and Zoloft. Like Hans Ingram, writers Chip Johannessen and Tim Tankosic were
clearly offering commentary concerning our society's focus on
prescription drug solutions.
"Walkabout" provides a suitable follow-up
to "Sacrament" in that it immediately deals with those themes related
to the revelation that Frank and Jordan Black share powers of
perception.
Death Toll:
4
Title:
Among Australian Aborigines
a walkabout is a ritual of self-discovery, a
traditional solitary journey through the
brush undertaken in an effort to learn more about one's own strengths
and character. The term seems an appropriate label for Frank
Black's efforts in this episode as he immerses himself into a
dangerous drug trial and a community of human test subjects to
discover a means of controlling his visions for the sake of his
daughter.
Starring:
Lance Henriksen as Frank Black
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black
Brittany Tiplady as Jordan Black
Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts
Bill Smitrovich as Lt. Bob Bletcher
Stephen James Lang as Detective Giebelhouse
Guest Starring:
Zeljko Ivanek as Dr. Daniel "Danny" Miller
Gregory Itzin as Hans Ingram
Ron Suave as Tardot
Dee Jay Jackson as G.J.
Alison Matthews as Sandy Geiger
Cheryl Mullen as Sal
Nancy Kerr as Personnel Chief Dana Flender
Arthur Corber as Moxie
Kym Sheppard as the Trial Nurse
Production
Credits:
Production #4C15
Music by Mark Snow
Production Designer Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography Robert McLachlan
Associate Producer Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer Ted Mann
Consulting Producer James Wong
Consulting Producer Glen Morgan
Co-Producer Ken Dennis
Co-Producer Chip Johannessen
Co-Producer Frank Spotnitz
Co-Executive Producer Jorge Zamacona
Co-Executive Producer Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer Chris Carter
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